Philip Jurick casts an intimidating appearance with Frankenstein height and shoulders, dark eyes and a large black cross tattooed on his bicep.

He's just as scary patrolling the lane, blocking shots and sending slighter bodies around him flying with boxouts.

But those who get to know him discover there's far more to Jurick than meets the eye.

Soft-spoken and polite, the inner Jurick is like any other young man away from home for the first time as a freshman in college.

He's proud to be a part of Tennessee's high-profile men's basketball program and working hard to fit in both on and off the court.

Jurick likes to hang out with his new teammates, but he's just as comfortable going to a quiet fishing hole.

While he's not the most athletic player on the floor, Jurick is the most accomplished shot blocker and he rebounds well.

Jurick moved to Chattanooga from Inverness, Fla., as a freshman after his parents divorced.

Q: Why are you going to wear the No. 44?

A: I've always worn it, and it was my dad's number when he played at Wisconsin.

Q: When did you know you wanted to come to Tennessee?

A: It was just before my junior basketball season. I got interested when they sent me a letter, and I came up here and liked the environment.

Q: How tough is it for a big man to play in this uptempo system?

A: It's tough, but it's getting easier. When I first came up here it was difficult with all the conditioning. I had never run like that before.

Q: Has being from Chattanooga made this an easier transition?

A: Not really. On the court, it's a different style of play than I'm used to. It's fun up here, but you have to study and there are long hours. It's pretty much just play basketball and go to class. There's not time for anything else.

Q: When did you know you might be a collegiate player?

A: My eighth-grade summer I grew like six inches, from 5-foot-9 to 6-3.

Q: Had you always played basketball?

A: No. I didn't play basketball until my freshman year of high school when I was 15 or 16. I'd played baseball. I wasn't real good; I just played that for fun. When I came up here, basketball was a whole different game.

Q: You don't talk on the court. Are you just shy?

A: It depends on who I'm around. At my high school I talked more, especially my junior and senior year when I was a leader. Here, I'm just taking things in and trying to learn as much as I can.

Q: What do you do in what little free time you have?

A: I just go on The Strip to eat or hang out with the other freshmen. Sometimes, we go to movies. Mostly it's me, Scotty (Hopson) and Renaldo (Woolridge).

Q: What's your favorite food?

A: My dad's chicken salad. I can eat like three or four plates of it. I was down there (Florida) a couple of weeks ago, and that's all I ate.

Q: What are your goals at Tennessee?

A: Just to learn as much as I can in the classroom and reach my full potential on the court. I'd like to go to the next level, but I know I'll have to try harder.

Q: You seem to enjoy blocking shots?

A: I do. I like blocking shots and rebounding more than scoring. I need to get my mindset on scoring more and learn to use my body.

Q: What's it like to be a part of this freshman class?

A: It's a lot of fun. We call ourselves the Fab Five, and we play against the upperclassmen in open gym. It's great to get out there and play basketball; you can get your mind off everything else.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.